WhatsApp Is Updated With VoIP and Other Features

WhatsApp Messenger is now updated with VoIP, plus a host of other useful features for its 800 million users. The cross-platform chatting service just released for its iPhone version new ways to share content.

Included in the update list is the WhatsApp Calling service, which works like Facetime Audio and Skype. This feature has been made available to Android users late in March. This feature uses the Internet connection of the phone, not its voice plan. Hence, WhatsApp users can call their family and friends free of phone voice charges, even those overseas.

With the new feature, when a call comes in, there will be a notification from the app showing who the caller is. Upon answering the call, it can be muted, put on speakerphone, or receiver may send the caller a message. For Android users, WhatsApp Call provides a Calls tab, listing call register that has all types of calls.

WhatsApp for iOS is now updated with VoIP and other features. It is shortly after CEO Jan Koum shared the app’s milestone of getting 800 million active users, which with big names in the global social and Internet services nowadays, is something of a feat. It has almost doubled its user base in the past year since Facebook acquired it. Since the latter bought the messaging app on February last year, the call feature has been expected by many. According to WhatsApp, the feature will be rolling out in weeks.

It also has just updated its Android client, a backup option for its online conversation with Google Drive. The Android version client is now in 2.12.45.

Version number 2.12.1 for iOS users also has a camera button in chats, multiple videos sending, iOS 8 share extension and Contacts edit. The camera button allows seamless photo capture, or lets one choose a recent video or photo. The user can also tweak videos prior to sending them. Meanwhile, the iOS share extension function makes it possible for users to share files and links from other applications.

WhatsApp started as a mere text messaging application, then incorporated voice messaging after four years. Then Facebook acquired the app for a whooping $19 billion. Several months later, the app introduced WhatsApp Web, which can run on devices of BlackBerry, Nokia S60, Windows Phone and Android.

Since August last year, about 100 million users use the app per four months. The number of users reached 700 million in January. Now, with 800 million active users, WhatsApp has the highest number of users of all messaging apps.

While messaging apps are meant to be used more often, rather than just once a month because users talk to family, friends and colleagues, Jon Russell writes on TechCrunch that better metrics of active users can be the number of weekly users, daily messages per user or the number of messages sent. Whatever metrics WhatsApp applies to count its users, the fact for now is, it is updated with VoIP and other features it sees useful for its millions of current users.